


By Your Side

by ohmytheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Family Feels, Prompt Fic, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-12-01 03:10:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11477376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmytheon/pseuds/ohmytheon
Summary: When Arya tells Gendry some very unexpected news, she's not sure how he'll take it. Meanwhile, he's just worried about her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of the fact that I'm having a baby on Friday.

“Oh my god, your brothers are going to  _murder_ me.”

For a brief moment, Arya thought that Gendry was being a little melodramatic, but then she thought of what Robb and Jon had done after they’d found out that Sansa’s ex-boyfriend had hit her and… Okay, maybe he had a fair point. Her big brothers are a tad overprotective.

It wasn’t a bad thing – Arya herself had slashed the tires of the boy’s Ferrari out of spite – but things were a little different when it came to her. They knew that she could take care of herself just fine. No boy was ever going to treat her badly or there would be a reckoning before her brothers even knew what happened. They let her handle most of her problems on her own, only stepping in or offering advice if she asked. Jon was especially good at that, not being as nosy as Robb, which was why she often went to her half brother for everything.

This though was something entirely different and she didn’t really know what to expect, much less know how they would react. It wasn’t like Gendry had hurt her or anything – in fact, it was quite the opposite – but things were definitely going to be awkward. Super awkward. Now that she was thinking about her brothers, her mind drifted to the rest of her family and horror finally began to set in. What were her  _parents_ going to say?

In front of her, Gendry paced the small living room back and forth. His apartment wasn’t much to speak of, but it was a step up from the studio he’d lived in when they had first met. First of all, he had actual, separate rooms with doors. Still, she knew that it made him uncomfortable sometimes considering the size of the house that she had grown up in. The first time he’d met her parents for dinner at their home, his eyes had gone so wide that she’d laughed. He hadn’t thought it was very funny; he had looked like he was ready to bolt and kept tugging on his clothes the entire night.

However, unlike then, Arya didn’t really know what to do to soothe him now. She felt equally helpless. All she could do was sit on the couch and watch him, feeling both numb and flabbergasted at the same time. No one would ever accuse her of being quiet, but for once in her life, she was speechless and didn’t know what to say at all. She’d never expected to be in a situation like this before. Everyone had so many ideas about where they would be in their life when something like this happened and this was…not it.

To be honest, she’d never given it much thought before, which left her feeling even more adrift.

Finally, after running his fingers through his hair for what had to have been the twentieth time, Gendry paused and turned to face her. His face was pink. Of course he would be blushing now. “I, ah, I thought you were on…”

“I was!” Arya exclaimed indignantly. “I  _am_! I don’t know how–” And then, after hours of wondering and flailing in confusion, it hit her. It hadn’t even occurred to her before. Her face slowly began to match his, just as pink. “Remember when I had a sinus infection?”

“Yeah,” Gendry replied slowly. “You were miserable. Kept saying you were dying. I spoon-fed you the spicy chicken noodle soup from the Thai restaurant down the street from your place.”

Arya didn’t think she had been that bad, but then, she couldn’t really remember. She’d been on a lot of medication and she was kind of a brat whenever she got sick. It was the only time she would ever let her mother fuss over her when she was a child. “Well, I was taking antibiotics and sometimes those can…mess with it – you know, make it ineffective.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell over them. Arya continued to watch Gendry as he looked away from her. For some reason, now that he was still, she was beginning to feel even antsier than when he was pacing the room. She wished that he’d say something – do something – anything, but he just stood there, lost in thought.

When he finally came to, he took a deep breath and sat down next to her, taking her hands in his. They were so large compared to her tiny ones. She loved his hands though, so rough and calloused and always seemingly dirty from his work at the mechanic shop no matter what he did to clean them. “So what do you want to do?”

“I…” Arya felt her throat close up and she looked down at his hands, unable to handle the bright blueness of his eyes. “I don’t know. I mean, I wasn’t expecting this and I wasn’t planning on this happening any time soon, but–” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She peeked up at him, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. There was a strained expression on his face. It was the one he got whenever he was thinking really hard or stressed out, which he was most definitely doing both of right now. But then, without warning, the strained expression faded away and was replaced by something she didn’t expect: shame and fear.

“I’m with you in whatever you decide. You know that, right? I will back you up.” Gendry pulled one hand away from hers so that he could rub his face tiredly. “I know I’m not…” He sighed. “Look, Arya, I know I’m not the best catch, okay? I’ve got a good job, but there are times when I feel like I’m barely making ends meet and I can’t always give you what you deserve. I’ve never been to college. I live in a dumpy apartment and my car only runs because I can fix it myself. I would completely understand if you didn’t…”

Arya jerked her other hand out of his grip, causing him to look up, and glared at him heatedly. “This isn’t about you or what kind of ‘catch’ you are. I wouldn’t be with you – I wouldn’t even be in this position with you – if I didn’t, you know, love you.” She was not one for flowery speeches or talking about her emotions, but hell, sometimes they needed to be said in order to get them through his thick skull. “I’m with you, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s one thing to date someone, Arya,” Gendry told her, “but it’s quite another to have a kid with them.” His tone was neither cruel or hurt; it just…was. Matter-of-fact, like that was the way life worked. “I would know. My father didn’t stick around for longer than a week after he found out my mother was pregnant.”

“Are you planning to leave?” Arya questioned.

“No, of course not!” Gendry protested.

“Then what are you getting at?” Arya folded her arms across her chest and folded in on herself, like she was protecting herself from something. “Am I…?” She bit her lip, the fear suddenly very real for her now that she was thinking about it. She’d never been afraid as far as Gendry was concerned before. He was always so consistent and there for her, even when they’d just been friends. “Do you not want to have a kid with me?”

“Arya,” Gendry sighed in such a soft voice that she couldn’t help but lean forward so that she could bury her face in his chest. How did he manage to get her like this so easily when everyone else struggled with her? “I would do anything for you. I would do anything with you. I can’t imagine it being someone else. I just… I don’t know. I’d hoped I could offer you more before then and that it wouldn’t be at such a bad time for you.”

Of course he was thinking of her with such little regard to himself. She was only nineteen and a sophomore in college with a part-time job. Right now, pregnancy was the last thing that she needed added to her plate. She was living in a two bedroom apartment with her childhood friend Mycah out of stubbornness since she wanted to prove that she could take care of herself. But adding a child to the mix would change everything.

“I feel like I threw a wrench in your life plans,” Gendry mumbled.

She knocked him in the chest with a fist. “You didn’t get me pregnant on your own, you know. If I recall, I kind of threw myself at you the second I was feeling better.”

When Gendry pressed his face into the top of her head, she could feel him smiling. “You were very insistent.” He took a breath and they both pulled away slightly so that they could look at one another. “So what do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Arya repeated, feeling helpless again. “But whatever it is, we’ll do it together, right?”

“I’m not going to leave you,” Gendry told her firmly. “Whatever it takes – whatever you need – I’ll do it. I’ll get a second job or one that pays better, even if it’s shit. I’ll save up. I’ll go to every doctor’s appointment with you, even if–” A determined look came over him. “I’m not going to be like my dad. I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I’ll be better. I swear.”

“You’re an idiot if you don’t think you already are,” Arya said. It definitely wasn’t the sweetest thing in the world to say, but it made him smile.

She knew that he meant every word though. The first thing she’d ever figured out about him years ago when they first met, back when she was twelve and he was fifteen, was that he was hard-working. She’d never known someone his age to already have a job. The kids she went to school with got their first car before they got their first job. Gendry though was different. He fought for every scrap that he owned and for everything in his life. She could understand that. And she knew that he would do the same now.

For the first time in days, Arya felt at ease and like she could breathe again.


	2. Approximately 10 Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Gendry wants to do is use the bathroom; all his son wants to do is be held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put next to no thought in their kid's name. I just looked up names with the meaning "warrior" and picked one.

Ryder would not sleep. Look, Gendry loved his son – loved him more than he’d ever thought himself capable of loving anything – but the boy would not allow Gendry a moment’s rest. Every time he thought the kid was out for the count, he’d lay him down – and then seconds later, Ryder’s eyes would spring open, he’d kick the blanket off, and let out the loudest wail. It shouldn’t be possible for a baby of a month old to be so loud. It was ungodly.

It didn’t help that it pulled at Gendry’s heart in a way that he’d never thought possible. He’d considered himself hard – had to be considering how he’d grown up alone – and he’d heard children cry before. Growing up in an orphanage did not allow for an easy, soft, quiet childhood. But there was nothing quite like hearing his own son cry. It jerked him away from whatever he was doing. It broke his damn heart.

All Gendry had been trying to do was take a piss for the past hour, but every damn time he laid his son down, Ryder would cry out and Gendry found himself rushing over to him. The last time he’d tripped over his undone pants and nearly sprawled face first on the ground. A little crying wouldn’t hurt Ryder – how many times had he said that when he lived at the orphanage? – and yet somehow it hurt _him_  now that it was his own child.

Weak. Even worse, if he didn’t know any better, he’d think that Ryder knew it.

And so that was how Gendry found himself pulling the baby wrap out that he’d seen Arya wear so many times before. It was so long and looked so complicated, but he was willing to try anything and Ryder seemed to like it. Must have had to do with being snug up against Arya. That was one thing they could both agree on. First, he had to look up a youtube video on his phone about how to put it on while walking around holding his son with his other hand. Second, once he seemed relatively okay with how it worked, he had to put it on. That meant setting Ryder down, which he didn’t like, so Gendry rushed to finish.

After getting it on (at least he thought it was on right – it was so tight), he picked up his son and soothed him again. It was a quick affair. Once Ryder realized he was being held, he would stop crying and look around inquisitively. Getting him in the baby wrap was another thing altogether. Both father and son squirmed trying to get it to work. Ryder scrunched up his face once fully inside and let out a single cry before Gendry could sooth him and start walking around the house, bouncing his stomach instinctively.

Ryder looked up at him almost curiously, half-confused, as Gendry stared down at him, willing him to close his eyes and fall asleep. He felt utterly ridiculous, like he was a kangaroo, but it was all he could do to calm the kid down.

“C’mon, c’mon, go to sleep,” Gendry mumbled, glancing away every time his son tried to connect eyes with him. If he did that, then he’d wake right up, as if able to sense Gendry’s weakness. The kid was an assassin when it came to his parents’ sleep, utterly merciless.

Ryder’s eyes opened and closed, staying closed more often than not after a while, until finally they stayed closed. His mouth was wide open as he breathed, making cooing noises and grunts as he did in his sleep. Gendry paused in his pacing and let his head fall back so that he could sigh in relief.

Finally, he could pee.

So, wearing his sleeping son in Arya’s baby wrap while taking a piss – that was one thing Gendry could check off the list of things he never thought he’d do but found himself doing anyways. Parenthood was a lot weirder than people gave it credit for. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d forced his mom into this position. He wished she was still alive just so he could apologize to her.

To be honest, he tried not to think about his mom very often in connection with his son. It made him feel…despondent. Lonelier than ever before. Arya’s parents were wonderful grandparents – very doting and helpful in every way and nice, especially considering the not-so perfect circumstances around the pregnancy – but sometimes he missed having someone on his side, parent-wise. Mya was great as an older half-sister and aunt, but she wasn’t his mom.

Just anyone that he could ring up and ask for advice from someone that knew from experience would’ve been nice.

After taking care of a few more things around the house (in all honesty, Arya was terrible about cleaning), Gendry eased himself down on the couch. He could’ve taken Ryder out of the wrap, but he was still sleeping soundly and Gendry hated the idea of disturbing him. There was even a little smile on his face, like he’d won at something. Yeah, won at bossing his dad around and getting what he wanted. Arya never folded so easily.

But Ryder was his son and Gendry really, really loved him.

After finding something on the tv, Gendry settled down and prepared for an hour of just holding his son. Sometimes, that was all it would take to get him to sleep, and sometimes it was the only thing. It was Gendry’s day off from the shop though so he really didn’t mind cuddling with his boy. Arya never questioned on whether or not he was capable of watching after a baby while she attended the classes of her last semester, even though he was a guy, and he didn’t care when the guys at the shop teased him over it.

What was the point? He couldn’t figure out why they would tease him. Gendry wanted to be a good and involved father. So what? Idiots, the lot of them.

Ryder was a good boy and a good baby. Gendry just wished that he’d sleep more often without them having to hold him. It meant that they didn’t get much sleep themselves. They had help, of course, but both of them were admittedly stubborn and tried to do so much themselves.

Luckily Arya only had two more classes so she didn’t have to go to school full-time, but Gendry was working over fifty hours a week to make up for her not working. She’d offered, but he had told her no. He knew she didn’t want to admit it, but she was happy to take the time with their son. Eventually, she would want to go to work, but he wanted her to be able to focus on school. She was graduating after this semester. He didn’t want her to be stretched too thin.

Except this had been a sixty hour work week for him and he was more than exhausted. Ryder had been extra clingy this past week for no reason that they could figure out. All Gendry wanted to do was take a thirty minute nap, but he was afraid to do that while holding a baby. Wasn’t that dangerous? He didn’t want people to label him a bad or lazy parent. That scared him more than he liked to admit.

However, his eyes kept opening and closing just as his son’s had done an hour ago. Gendry snapped them back open, focusing on the television, only for them to drift close again. He was fine. He wasn’t that tired. He could stay awake. He was  _fine_ –

“Gendry, Gendry,” a voice called to him, accompanied by a shoulder shake.

Blearily opening his eyes. Gendry found himself face-to-face with a grinning Arya. With one arm still protectively wrapped about their son, he pushed himself up on the couch. “You’re home early. Was class canceled?”

“Uh, no, I just got out,” Arya told him, pointing at the clock.

Gendry would’ve jumped off the couch had he not been holding Ryder. “Shit! I fell asleep!” He looked to Ryder up to Arya, a harried expression on his face. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to–”

“You’re okay,” Arya interrupted with a laugh as she stood up straight. “He seems happy. Look at that face.”

Indeed, there was that little, content smile on Ryder’s face. He had his arms up and one hand grabbing at the collar of his shirt. Gendry sank down in the couch, relief sweeping over him. He’d been told so many horror stories about parents falling asleep with their children that it had kept him up at night. But everything was okay. He even felt better now that he’d napped. Ryder would wake up to eat soon and everything would be fine.

“You two have a good day?” Arya asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Gendry replied, thinking about that hour Ryder wouldn’t even let him use the restroom.

Arya shot him another grin. “You certainly looked cozy. The snapchat I sent everyone was positively adorable.”

Gendry flopped back on the couch. “Arya–”

“What?” Arya chimed innocently. “Sansa loved it. ‘Most guys wouldn’t nearly be as comfortable taking care of a baby alone,’ according to her. You’re a role model, an inspiration.”

All Gendry could do was blush, but while he was a little embarrassed – Arya loved to take goofy pictures of him on snapchat and it had only gotten worse since Ryder was born – he wasn’t unhappy. It was…nice. Very different and completely unexpected, but nice. He and Arya had never planned on having a family (at least not so soon) and while it had taken a lot of adjusting and hadn’t always been pretty or easy, they were finding their way and making their own path. He suspected it would always be like this – one big guessing game – but they were in it together.

Now, if only they could sleep together at the same time, that would be great.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just every day life with a kiddo, trying to let Arya get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People keep asking for more of this, so I might as well write it while wearing my child.

It was his one day off, which usually meant lounging around the house with Ryder, but there was too much to be done. Arya had been stuck with mid-terms all week, which wouldn’t have been bad if she wasn’t also knee-deep in her senior thesis research project. In between late night feedings and pulling near all-nighters alongside of it to finish her homework, she wasn’t getting any sleep. She wasn’t going to admit to being exhausted, but the dark bags under her eyes and her sluggish movements around the house told another story.

Being a mom was tiring enough, but combine that with the last semester of college, along with helping her sister plan her wedding, and it was a nightmare. Arya was tired and too stubborn to admit it.

Luckily, Gendry had learned how to be sneaky about helping her back when they were still just friends. After she’d come home from class, they ate dinner, although hers had been interrupted by Ryder wanting to eat. Gendry cleaned up and patiently waited while she feed Ryder until he heard what he’d been waiting for. Arya would also never admit to snoring, but she did so when she was dead tired. When he peered into the living room, there was Arya passed out on the couch, her head tipped back, her arms protectively around their son, while he slept nestled against her on the boppy pillow.

Knowing he only had a few minutes to get everything done, Gendry went into rush mode. First, he put on the baby wrap, which he’d gotten a lot more familiar with since his first attempt. It wasn’t nearly as terrifying now, but the trick was getting him in it at the right time. After carefully picking up Ryder and placing him in his swing, Gendry scooped Arya up from the couch. She mumbled in her sleep against his chest, but when he laid her in bed, she curled up, grasped hold of a pillow, and snuggled under the blanket he laid over her. He shut the bedroom door and returned to pick up Ryder, who was starting to squirm in his swing upon realizing he wasn’t being held. Hastily Gendry slipped his son inside and then walked around the apartment, bouncing up and down on his heels, until Ryder was asleep again.

Gendry breathed a sigh in relief. The ticking time bomb had been defused.

He wrote a quick note to Arya telling them what was going on, grabbed the few things he needed, and slipped out the door quietly. He’d learned after years of being around Arya how to be quiet. Once outside, he went to her car (it was bigger and much better than his) and pulled the stroller out. With Ryder tucked against his chest, he wouldn’t use the stroller, but Gendry needed it for other things. Luckily, everything he needed to do was only a short walk. Some fresh air would do him good since he was either cooped up in a smelly mechanic shop or the apartment.

First he went his work. He knew damn well that he was going to get teased, but it didn’t matter to him. Letting Arya get some well-deserved sleep mattered more than his pride. And besides, it didn’t do much to embarrass him anyways.

“Oh, look guys, it’s dream daddy Gendry!” Tom called from inside.

Gendry rolled his eyes as he parked the stroller outside and waved a dismissive hand at his coworker. “This right here,” he said, pointing to his son, “is proof that I can get laid while you’re still trying to woo girls at karaoke bars.”

Tom scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. “I get plenty of women, thank you.” Despite teasing Gendry, he put on some hand sanitizer and strode over towards them so that he could fondly rub Ryder’s head. Arya had trained all of the men to clean up before touching their son. Even without her here, the threat loomed heavily over all of them. “How’s the pup today?”

“Passed out for now,” Gendry sighed in relief as they walked to the office.

“And the mama she-wolf?”

Gendry smiled at the nickname. “Also passed out.”

“Good,” Tom said decisively. “She deserves it.” Then, he punched Gendry in the arm. “When are you two going to come out? It’s been a while! I know, I know – you’re parents now, but you’re not antisocial or dead. You both need some time to yourselves, not just separately.”

All Gendry could do was shrug his shoulders. “I think she’s scared of leaving him for anything but school, like it’ll make her look like a bad mom or something. Getting her to sleep or eat is a struggle sometimes.”

Tom tsked. “Arya sure is a funny girl.” Then he grinned and slapped Gendry on the back. “Still strange as hell seeing how bloody  _domestic_  you two are. It’s positively adorable, isn’t it, Lem?”

“Doesn’t seem too far off,” Lem replied as he stepped out of the office. “Our boy here has always had a soft spot for kids. Remember how he used to give his lunch away to the mom and her little girl at the park?”

“Oh, you were a dad in the making!” Tom teased.

Gendry shoved Tom away before the man could give him a mocking hug and walked into the office, cutting off the other two men’s laughter. Once there, he got his check for the past two weeks and then looked at the schedule. The upper management training marked on his line still made him feel uncomfortable, but it was a good thing. Better pay and hours. He’d worked his ass off for this. Didn’t make it feel any less odd. He was so used to being out on the floor and in the grime all the time. He liked it out there. But they needed this. Ryder needed this. Sacrifices had to be made on all fronts.

Once his business at work was taken care of and he showed Ryder off to everyone, Gendry deposited his check in the bank across the street and walked to the grocery store a little further away. It was nice being so close to everything. They had lucked out when the apartment they lived in now became available, but even more so that her parents had helped them get them on their feet. To be honest, it still humiliated Gendry to think about, but Arya had been so grouchy with him for his apologies.

 _“We’re here to help, Gendry,”_  her father had said,  _“and we know you’ll take good care of our Arya. Accepting help is nothing to be ashamed about. Besides, let us spoil our first grandchild.”_

The concept of having a father that wanted to help – that wanted to just be around – was completely lost on Gendry. His mother might’ve died when he was young, but at least she’d stuck around for as long as her body allowed her. His dad was… Well, his dad was dead too, but he’d never bothered to show his face after Gendry was born. Too important and wealthy to admit to getting a cocktail waitress pregnant, he’d paid his mom off to keep silent and waived away all paternity rights. He’d done the same with his half-sister Mya.

Still, sometimes Gendry wondered, if his dad might’ve come around later on. He had been best friends with Arya’s father. Meeting him would’ve happened eventually. Gendry had seen him once, shortly before the man had a heart attack, at some function at Arya’s parents’ house that she’d dragged him to, but the moment Gendry had realized who the man was, he had spent the rest of the party acting like some sort of ninja to evade him. Then he was gone.

But what would have happened had they met? Would his father have pretended not to know him? Would he act apologetic in public and then avoid him? Would he have been curious once Gendry and Arya started dating? Would he have wanted to be involved once he had found out that he was technically going to be a grandfather?

Gendry would never know how either his mom or dad would’ve reacted to becoming grandparents. Being an orphan hadn’t bothered him for a very long time. Only until Arya became pregnant and her family stepped further into their lives did he realize that he was missing something that many people took for granted. It had been…difficult. Harder than he liked to admit. Like there was something else he couldn’t give his son, even though it wasn’t his fault.

Once they were at the store, Gendry used the stroller as a shopping cart. He didn’t care how ridiculous and cheap it looked. A few people gave him strange looks, even judgmental ones, but it didn’t phase him in the slightest. How was he supposed to carry his son and groceries home without anything to carry them in? He was being practical.

Of course, a few women stopped to look at Ryder and coo over him, all with varying reactions concerning Gendry’s role. There was the, “I would never trust my husband alone with my baby, but your wife must be brave!” woman, who laughed like it was so funny. Gendry did not point out that Ryder’s mom was not his wife (…not yet at least – school first – though it weighed heavily on his mind and made him anxious). Then there was the, “They just don’t make men like you these days!” woman, who had three kids of her own and looked frazzled. It made him feel sad. Another woman actually started trying to flirt with him in the cereal aisle, so he grabbed a box at random, awkwardly said goodbye, and hurried away.

People were so weird when it came to talking to parents with kids. Like they had a right to lay their opinion. It mind-boggled Gendry. No one had paid him any attention during this little errands before, but now they flocked to him, like they’d never seen a dad with their kid in public before. Was it that unusual?

By the time they made it back home, Ryder was starting to get fussy, probably hot in the baby wrap and also hungry. The boy could eat. It was also beginning to rain, so it was perfect timing. When they got back into the apartment, it was quiet. He laid Ryder down in the swing, willing him to be quiet for just a little while longer, and slipped out of the baby wrap. Upon walking into the bedroom, he found Arya still asleep, but her body was moving too, as if it could tell that Ryder would be awake soon.

Still, Gendry slipped into the bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his nose into her hair and taking a deep breath. He allowed all his muscles to relax as he held her. Slowly, he felt her move underneath him until she’d wiggled in his arms to turn around and face him. “Have a nice nap?”

Arya rubbed her eyes. “How long was I out?”

“A good two hours.”

“Ryder–”

She’d started to sit up, but he held her down and simply said, “Asleep – for now,” and she eased back down in the bed.

Instead of closing her eyes to drift off again, even though he knew that she was still tired, she leaned closer to him and kissed him. He kissed her back, lazily, taking his sweet time, but then she pressed her body up against his. Her kisses became more insistent and she gripped him tightly, pulling him closer to her and rocking her body into his.

Now this was something that they hadn’t been able to do in a while. Half for recovery reasons and the other half because they had no time to themselves. His body reacted immediately, a groan building up in his chest. He rolled over so that he was on top of her and pressed his hips down against her, causing her to let out a gasp. A grin appeared on his face as he kissed down her neck and she hastily moved to undo his pants–

And then a piercing wail from the other room startled them both so badly that they jumped and Gendry nearly fell off the bed.

“Well, that was fun,” he said with a laugh.

Arya sighed and dropped her head back against the pillow. “I’ll–”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gendry told her as he rolled off of her and got up from the bed. “There’s a bottle in the fridge. You rest. I’ve got it.”

“Are you sure?” Arya asked, peering at him warily.

“Let me spoil the mother of my child and spend some time with him,” Gendry told her, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. “Besides, you’re moody when you’re tired, just like him.”

He just barely dodged the pillow that she threw at him as he hastily made his retreat into the living room to scoop up their son and soothe him. Yeah, domestic life was weird and he hadn’t really given much thought to being a father, but this was exactly where he wanted to be.


	4. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryder gets his first fever. So does someone else.

Gendry had been absolutely beside himself. He couldn’t remember ever being so panicked, except when Arya had called him while he was at work to tell him that she was “pretty sure” that she was having contractions but maybe she just had to poop. He was fairly certain that his and Mya’s sibling relationship had taken on a deeper level than either of them had expected when Gendry had frantically called her to ask about  _that_.

This time, there was nothing that a phone call could do. None of it could calm him down. He was freaking out.

But he had to act as if he was okay. He was fine. There was nothing to be worried about. They would get over this, just as they had done everything else so far in this new challenge.

But Ryder was sick for the first time and Gendry was at such a loss.

To be honest, the baby didn’t act very sick, at least not in the sense that Gendry was used to. He knew that when he wasn’t feeling well, it felt as if the entire world was sitting on his shoulders. He was sluggish, snappy, and generally felt like a piece of crap. The key difference between him and Ryder was that Gendry was able to communicate all these things. He’d honestly thought that it was just another day for his boy when he’d picked the kid up out of his crib until he’d noticed how warm he was.

It was the middle of winter. Their place was insulated well, all things considered, but he was just in a sleeper. Gendry could remember always noticing that Ryder felt a little cold in the morning when he got up to give him a bottle before going to work, but today he was oddly warm. Hot even.

Ryder didn’t seem sick though. He wasn’t crying or whimpering or anything. He seemed normal. Talking up a storm in that sweet baby gibberish that Gendry had grown to adore and chewing on his fingers now that he was starting to cut teeth. He even smiled when Gendry poked his head into the crib to say good morning.

Of course, neither one of them had been happy upon finding out how Gendry would have to figure out if Ryder had a temperature or not. Sticking a thermometer under the tongue wasn’t an option for a baby. Ayra had done the honors of that while Gendry had stood to the side cringing as Ryder howled in protest. It had confirmed his fears though. Ryder had a temperature. 101.3. Enough to send Gendry into a slight panic.

“It’s probably from his flu shot,” Arya told him as she changed Ryder into the day’s outfit. It had little wolves on it. Sansa had bought it for him at some boutique. Gendry swore that half of Ryder’s closet had been bought by her alone. She couldn’t help but be a doting aunt.

“Should we take him back?” Gendry asked anxiously.

Arya shrugged. “Not much they can do. I’ll just have to keep an eye on him.”

“I can stay home from work–”

“No, no, it’s not that big of a deal.” Arya smiled at him, putting on a brave face. She was handling this a lot better than him. He should’ve known that something else was up. “I can handle this.”

And so he’d gone to work without any further arguments. Arya was a capable mom. She had been very scared at first, which was understandable considering that she was still young and both of them were inexperienced. He knew that she had been secretly terrified of not being able to bond with the baby and her fears had reared themselves in the form of a slight case of PPD that both of them had struggled through. She was doing a lot better though and he knew how fiercely she loved Ryder.

It was to the point of stubbornness. Sometimes, she tried to act like she didn’t need any help at all – like in order to be the best mother out there, she could handle everything on her own. It had meant that she would wake up with Ryder in the middle of the night and not tell Gendry, causing her to try surviving on one hour of sleep while he’d had a full night. It meant countless hours of breastfeeding and pumping even when her body struggled to work with her and she wasn’t liking it anymore. It meant insisting on holding him because he would cry if anyone else tried to, even if she had to wait to pee for hours.

She could most definitely handle their sick son on her own – but she didn’t have to and that was the point.

After having spent the entire day at work silently panicking and constantly texting and snapchatting Arya, he came home and found a slight mess of a scene. Arya was sitting on the couch with Ryder, who was passed out asleep, but he could tell right away that she was miserable. There were dark bags under her eyes, her whole body was limp, her hair slack, and she was still wearing the same pajamas from this morning.

“Rough day?” Gendry asked as he made his way over to her.

“It was fine,” Arya replied somewhat distantly. “He’s just been fussy.”

Gendry bent down to kiss her on her forehead. “I bet–” And that was when he noticed what was wrong. Her skin was hot to the touch and she was sweating a little. Ryder wasn’t the only one with a fever. “Arya…”

“I’m fine,” Arya said hastily, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “I just sat down from walking around the living room to calm him down.”

“You’re sick too,” Gendry stated.

“No, I’m not!” Arya exclaimed. “It’s nothing. It’s just a sinus infection.”

Gendry held out his hands. Arya looked at them like he was someone else, but then slowly handed Ryder over to him. How something so small could still seem so heavy was beyond him, but Gendry took his son gently into his arms. Ryder quickly grasped onto one of his fingers and nuzzled his face into Gendry’s shirt, letting out a content sigh. That usually meant it was close to the time where he could be laid down in his crib for the night. But sick babies usually had other ideas. Gendry could remember that from his time in the orphanage.

“You should’ve told me that you weren’t feeling well,” Gendry sighed. He loved the feel of his son against him. It made him feel more complete and at ease, even when the boy was sick. Still, knowing that Arya had suffered by herself all day made him feel like crap. If he’d known, he would have stayed home.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Arya grumbled under her breath.

Gendry snorted. “You look like hell.”

“Gee, you’re a real charmer.”

Carefully, Gendry lowered himself down onto the couch next to her. Despite her sarcastic words and disgruntled expression, Arya leaned against him, pressing the side of her face against his arm and reaching over to brush Ryder’s thin dark hair over his head. He was too young for them to tell if he would have dark brown hair like hers or black hair like his.

“I thought I could handle it,” Arya told him. “I  _should_  be able to handle it. I’m his mom.”

“Yeah, and I’m his dad. I get to worry and deal with this too.” Gendry had known that Arya was stubborn to the core. Unfortunately, he was as well. Gods knew how their son was going to be. Probably a nightmare. “You’re not alone. You don’t have to do things on your own.”

“I shouldn’t  _need_  help,” Arya replied grumpily. “I don’t have the luxury to be sick.”

Honestly, Gendry couldn’t help but laugh and he knew that Ayra wouldn’t punch him in the arm right now since he was holding Ryder. “Because that’s how things like being sick works. You’re not allowed to get sick because you’re a mom.” 

Arya rolled her eyes at him, but she said nothing, just nuzzled into him even more. She must’ve really been feeling off. Normally she’d put up more of a fight, but he had a feeling that he would have to put Arya to bed after laying Ryder down. He didn’t mind though. Yeah, he was worried out of his mind about his son and her, but it strangely felt good to worry about something like that. It felt more real, important, tangible.

“I know you’re here for us,” Arya suddenly said, her voice quiet and tired. “But I… I didn’t want to feel like a burden.”

“Arya, you’re not–”

“Let’s face it. You weren’t expecting to become a father this year. You weren’t… Your entire life changed. And I know what you’ll say, but sometimes I feel like it’s all because of me. It’s my fault. And I know Ryder isn’t… He’s not a bad thing. He’s the  _best_ thing.” When Arya sniffed, he couldn’t be for certain if it was because she was sick or perhaps close to crying. It might’ve been a combination of both. She tended to be a hot mess when she was sick. “But sometimes I worry that I’m inconveniencing you or being a hassle and I didn’t want to do that today. I knew I could get through it without bothering you so I did.”

It kind of wounded him to hear her say things like that. Of course he knew how she felt. They’d talked about it before Ryder was born when they had been deciding on what to do with the pregnancy and there had been plenty of talks after. Becoming a father had both terrified and made him the happiest person in the world. There had been struggles. There had been fights. There had been nights when he’d selfishly thought for a second that things would be easier if this hadn’t happened.

But it had and it was the best thing, just as Arya had said. Gendry didn’t want to live in a world where he didn’t know his son. He thought of his own father, only a shadow of a man who had abandoned him before he was born, and knew that it was a part of his destiny to be a better man. It was the one thing that would make his world feel complete.

“You know, sometimes I worry that I forced motherhood on you,” Gendry admitted as he looked down at their son.

Arya gasped and looked up at him. “That’s awful. Why would you think that?”

“Because you knew how much I wanted to be a dad,” Gendry said. “None of our friends knew. I never talked about. Never even hinted about it. I don’t even talk about my own parents.” Ryder looked so peaceful right now. Didn’t even look sick even though Gendry could still feel how warm he was. “It was kind of a selfish want, you know? I wanted to prove that I could be a good father. I wanted to make up for what I lacked. And you… You knew that.”

“You’re a great dad,” Arya told him fiercely, as if she would physically fight anyone that said otherwise. Not that she could at the moment. As emphatic as she sounded right now, she was also fairly weak. “We’re in this together.”

“I agree,” Gendry replied. He nudged her gently. “So stop acting like this is all on you, okay?”

Arya huffed against him, but nodded her head. She was clearly too tired to argue. For once, her being sick was probably a good thing. He knew that she would do something like this again, but then maybe she would cave and ask for help another time where she would’ve struggled alone before. She was so used to doing things on her own, but not anymore. They’d built their friendship on helping one another. It was the first block of their relationship before anything else. And that definitely came with having a kid together.


End file.
